Waxing apparatus for sewing-machines.



PATENTED MAR. 28, 1905.

H. BRIGGS. WAXING APPARATUS FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1904.

MTNESSES IN VEN T0 FL Patented March 28, 1905.

UNITED" STATES PATENT QFFICE.

HENRY BRIGGS, OF HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NEIV JERSEY.

WAXING APPARATUS FOR S EWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,852, dated March28, 1905.

Implication filed Juiv 29. 1904:- Serial No. 218,612.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BRIGGS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hasbrouck Heights, in the county of Bergen and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in axingApparatus for Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

The present invention relates to waxing devices for sewing-machines usedin sewing together layers of leather, and more particularly tosewing-machines employed in uniting together the uppers and soles ofboots and shoes.

As is well known to those skilled in the boot and shoe art, thesewing-machines used for uniting the uppers and soles of boots and shoesare provided with a waxing apparatus through which the thread is drawnfrom the spool or cop on its way to the thread-handling andstitch-forming mechanisms and is there provided with a coating of waxwhich to a greater or less degree is absorbed and taken away by thefibers and strands of the thread. The wax commonly used in thesemachines is when cold to a greater or less degree solid and is solubleand liquefied by heat, and therefore the waxing devices are in generaluse provided with heating means, usually steam, which raises thetemperature of the wax contained in the waxing devices to a high degree,sufficient to liquefy the wax, so that as the thread leads from thespool or cop and is drawn through the Waxing device it will become to agreater or less extent saturated and coated with hot wax. In theemployment of these waxing devices in common use prior to my presentinvention much difiiculty and annoyance have been caused by thesuperheating of the wax, which causes it to boil up and run over itsreceptacle, covering the machine and the floor and other parts of thefactory with wax, much to the annoyance and inconvenience of those whouse the machines. This superheating of the wax has been caused generallyby a sudden rise in temperature of the water which gathers in the closedsteam-jacket which surrounds the Wax-receptacle and the generation ofsteam therein caused by the failure of the steam to exhaust properlyfrom the steam-jacket. In use these waxing devices are heated by theadmission of steam to the steam-jacket surrounding the wax-receptacle,and where several machines are connected to the same steamsupply thewater in the overflow-pipes backs up, as it is termed, and this raisesthe temperature of the water in the water-jacket, thus causing theobjectionable superheating of the wax, as set forth. It is of coursedesirable that the wax shall be raised to a high temperature, for itthus becomes liquid and greatly facilitates the smooth and evenoperation of the thread-hand ling and stitch-formingdevices of themachine.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide animproved waxing apparatus for sewing-machines in which the Watersurrounding the wax-containing receptacle as it reaches theboiling-point and is vaporized into steam shall, be discharged from saidwater-receptacle and after passing th rough suitable condensingapparatus returned to the water-receptacle, thus insuring the constantreplenishing, as it were, of the water by the exhaust-steam andobviating the objectionable features hereinbefore stated.

To the above ends the present invention comprises the improved waxingdevice which will be hereinafter described, and specifically set forthin the claims.

The present invention is set forth in the accompanying drawing, whereinis shown in side elevation and partial sectional view my improvedthread-waxing mechanism.

In the drawing, 1 represents a substantially cylindrical receptacle,which may be made of a single casting or otherwise constructed as may bedeemed convenient. The receptacle 1 is open at the top, as shown at 2,and is preferably provided with a lateralflange 3, substantially atright angles to its sides, and at its lower end with the boss 4, havinga chamber 5, provided with the threaded wall 6, opening into thereceptacle 1, and also having the port or opening 61, to which isattached a suitable cook or faucet 7, the purpose of which will behereinafter set forth.

Located within the chamber of the receptacle 1 is a wax-receptacle 8,the space between the walls of the receptacle 8 and the receptacle 1forming a water-receptacle or waterjacket, such as is usually to befound in these devices. The receptacle 8 at its upper end is open, asshown at 9, and is provided with a lateral flange or collar 10, arrangedto rest upon and to be bolted or otherwise secured to the flange 3 ofthe receptacle 1 and also provided with the rabbeted collar or shoulder11, arranged to lit the interior wall of the receptacle 1. In thereceptacle 8 the wax is to be placed, and also it is to be provided withany usual or preferred form of guide-rolls and trucks and otherthreadcontrolling and guiding means which are usually employed in suchdevices, but which are not necessary to be shown herein. The receptacle8 at its lower end is provided with a nipple 12, exteriorly threaded, asshown, and arranged to engage the threaded wall of the chamber 5 in theboss 4 and by its threaded connection fix in place and draw the flange10 in close contact with the flange 3. The nipple 12 has a port letopening into the chamber 5, the arrangement being such that the stalewax which may be in the receptacle 8 may be drawn ofl through the cock 7For the purpose of heating the water contained in the chamber 91 Iprovide a steamcoil 15, which enters the receptacle 1 at the point 16,takingstean'i from any suitable source of supply, and is coiled aroundthe wax-receptacle 8, leading from the receptacle 1 at the point 17 toany suitable steam outlet or pipe arranged to conduct it to a suitableoverflow or waste. (Not shown.) It is of course understood that thewater contained in the waterjaeket 91 will be raised to theboiling-point and will become vaporized, and in the form of steam itisled from this receptacle through an outlet-pipe 1.8 into a condensingdome or chamber 19, which chamber discharges by a pipe 20 into a watertank or reservoir 21, mounted adjacent to the wax containing and heatingmechanism and connected at its lower end by a pipe 22 with the lowerpart of the water-chamber 9.

The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows: ater will beintroduced into the reservoir 21 and from there will flow into thewater-jacket 91, and suflicient water will be introduced to bring thelevel thereof to a point near the top of the reservoir 21 and thewaterchamber 91. It being assumed that the waxreceptacle 8 is filledwith wax, steam will be admitted through the inlet 16 and passingthrough the coil 15 raises the water in the water-chamber 91 to a hightemperature, thus melting the wax contained in the receptacle 8. Shouldthe water in the water-chamber 91 reach the boiling-point,the steamgenerated thereby will pass out through the pipe 18 into the condensingdome or chamber 19, where it will be restored to its liquid form andfrom there will pass back into the water-reservoir 21, and thisoperation will be continued.

It will be seen that in the present apparatus steam is not admitteddirectly to the water or steam acket, but is admitted to a coil whichsurrounds the wax-receptacle and which heats the water therein, and thatby reason of the steam-outlet to the condenser the temperature cannotexceed the boiling-point, thus preventing the objectionable superheatingof the wax.

It will be obvious that but slight attention on the part of the operatorwill be necessary to maintain the proper water-level and that suchproper water-level will be maintained for a longer time than by the useof the devices heretofore known to the art employing open vessels andthat there will be no danger of the wax becoming superheated and boilingover, as in the devices of the prior art.

Having described my invention and the best means now known to me foroperating the same, I desire to state that in the present drawing andspecification I have simply set forth and described the essentialsnecessary to my invention and without attempting to describe details ofits construction, which of course will be dictated to a greater or lessextent by the ordinary and usual construction of waxing devices nowemployed.

1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates- 1. In a waxing apparatus for sewing-machines in combination, awax-receptacle, a waterjacket surrounding the same, means for heatingthe water contained in said waterjacket, a condenser, a steam-outletleading from the water-jacket to said condenser, a reservoir into whichsaid condenser discharges and a connection between said reservoir andthe water-jacket, substantially as described.

2. In a waxing apparatus for sewing-machines, in combination, awax-receptacle, a

water-jacket surrounding said receptacle, a steam-coil entering thewater-jacket near one end surrounding the wax-receptacle and dischargingnear the opposite end, a condenser, connections between the water-jacketand the condenser, a water-reservoir into which the water discharges anda connection between the water-reservoir and the water-jacket,substantially as described.

3. In a waxing apparatus for sewing-machines,- in combination, awax-receptacle, a closed water-jacket surrounding said wax-receptacle,means for heating the water in the water-jacket, a condenser, asteam-outlet leading from the water-jacket to the condenser, awater-reservoir into which the condenser discharges and a connectionbetween the waterreservoir and the water-jacket, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY BRIGGS.

Witnesses:

'1. HART ANDERSON, MAY A. KENNEY.

IIO

